Fire threatens 250 homes

Sunday

Aug 31, 2014 at 12:50 PM

As of this morning, the Happy Camp Complex has grown to 62,626 acres, with 15 percent containment.

According to a recent press release today should be the beginning of another warming and drying trend as high pressure begins to develop over the region. Temperature could trend as much as 5-10 degrees warmer today. Light northerly winds are expected over the fire today. With more stable air the potential for large fire growth will be diminished. Poor visibility will limit air operations.

Personnel have increased almost 10 percent and there are now 137 engines and 19 helicopters assigned to this incident, according to a recent press release.

No structures have been lost or damaged.

Command of the complex is expected to transition to California Team 3.

Structure defense preparations and planning continue, and resources are in place to engage as needed on Hwy 96 and Scott River Road.

Approximately 695 homes are being threatened, and there are currently mandatory evacuations and advisories affecting approximately 250 homes.

Additional evacuations may be necessary as the fire progresses.

Zone 2 (east side of fire): Firefighters continue to make progress creating containment lines around the fire. There should be cooler temperatures and light winds out of the northwest today. Smoke is predicted to remain over the fire and surrounding areas, which will impact firefighter’s efforts including the ability to use aircraft on the fire. The fire is expected to continue to spread north towards Hwy 96 and east toward Scott River Road and Middle Creek Meadows. Limited fire spread is predicted towards Packer Valley. Communities along Scott River Road and Hwy 96 continue to be threatened, including Seiad, Hamburg, Kelsey and Scott Bar areas.

Wildfire smoke on roads or in aviation corridors can place the public and firefighters at risk. Reduced visibility from smoke is especially a concern in the southeast where "whiteout" conditions are more likely when low wind speeds and high humidity are present.

Zone 1 (west side of fire): Yesterday, the fire was active on south and west facing slopes, but much less active on north and east facing terrain. Engines and crews are being deployed in a manner that makes them available for initial attack if the need arises. Crews continue mopping up to reduce the chance of the fire spreading further. They are also continuing to provide structure defense for properties at risk. Equipment has been prepositioned for immediate use should the need arise. The Zone 1 incident command post is located in Happy Camp.

Forest Closures and Restrictions: Roads, trails and lands within and adjacent to the Happy Camp and July complexes, as well as the Beaver Fire, are closed to protect public and firefighter safety. This includes those sections of the Pacific Crest Trail within closure areas. Maps and descriptions of closed areas are available at Klamath National Forest offices in Yreka, Fort Jones, Happy Camp and Macdoel. For details on this closure and other fire area closures, please see http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/klamath/alerts-notices. Approximately 75 percent of the 1.7 million acre Klamath National Forest remains open to forest adventures.

There will be a community meeting this afternoon in Fort Jones at the community center at 4 p.m. today.

Traffic Control: Highway 96 remains open. However, traffic control began this weekend. The area involved is from the intersection of Highway 96 and Scott River Road to Walker Creek Bridge. Expect some delays as pilot cars will assist with safe movement in and around firefighters and equipment. These measures will be in place for the next several days or as long as fire and smoke conditions dictate.

All Evacuation orders remain in effect for the below areas. People in areas under mandatory evacuation should be aware they may not be able to reenter the evacuation area until fire danger has passed. The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department will be patrolling 24 hours in the evacuated areas.

Due to increased fire activity of the Happy Camp Complex, the following evacuation orders are currently in effect:

Mandatory Evacuations

Scott River Road from Bridge Flat to the intersection of Hwy. 96
All areas south of Hwy. 96 from Scott River Road down river to Cade Summit
Advisory Evacuation

All areas north of Hwy. 96 between Scott River Road and Grider Creek
An evacuation center is located at Winema Hall at the Siskiyou County Fairgrounds, 1712 Fairlane Road, Yreka. Both large and small animals will be accommodated at the Fairgrounds. Large animal transport can be arranged through the Sheriff’s Posse. Contact Jodi Aceves, (530) 340-2422 to arrange transport. For more information contact the Siskiyou County Sheriff Department at (530) 841-2900.

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